Percy
I never really wanted to stop in Pennsylvania to get help from the muses. I never thought I would ever go there willingly again; but I am not going willingly, I am being forced against my will.
After we defeated the Giants and put Gaea to sleep in her bed of dirt, the major Gods still weren't talking to us. Except Hera, oh joy. Other minor gods had helped us close the Doors of Death and Thanos had gotten Annabeth and me out of Tartarus before closing the doors. He said he was returning a favor. As soon as the Giants were nothing but dust, all the Gods and Goddesses disappeared; except for Hera (or Juno if you like her better as a roman; she's annoying either way). She told us that we need to seek help from the muses in Die Kunst (AU: it is pronounced da kunst. Kunst is said how its spelt) City, Pennsylvania. I swear she looked at me when she said, "The muse that will be the best for this particular problem would be the Muse of dance, Terpsichore." Her expression had mocked me.
"OH MY GODS PERCY, EAT SOMETHING! YOU'RE SCARING ME!" Frank practically screamed in my ear snapping me to the present.
We were eating dinner in the mess hall on the Argo II. Up until that moment everyone else had been talking about why we needed the Muses' help, and why they would help us. Now everyone's eyes were on me.
"Um…being in Zeus's domain makes me queasy?" I answered, but it sounded more like a question than an answer. Technically it wasn't a lie, I do get queasy in the sky; it just wasn't what was making me nauseous now. It didn't look like anyone was buying it, "So… where in Da Kunstdie ….?" I asked to break the awkward silence, I also knew exactly how to pronounce the name too, living in a city for 9 years will do that for you, but I need to keep up with my reputation of not being smart.
"Die Kunst city,"Annabeth corrected me, "The muses are the patrons of the arts I thought that we should look in schools for the arts. In ancient Greece they were known for spreading the arts and the teachings of the arts," she explained.
"So we just need to find the one in DKC that the Muses run," Piper finished for her.
"Sounds great," I mumbled when everyone started talking again.
By the time I woke up the next day Leo was looking for a place to land in the great city of Die Kunst. I am now expressing my overloaded joy.
In the lounge, the image of the Long Island Sound was glittering as the sun rose from behind it. The nymphs were sitting on the dock gossiping about who knows what. That's exactly where I would like to be now; it's too bad I'm not.
"So are we going to split up and walk all over the city to look for this place, or fly over the city in the ship?" both were things I didn't want to do, I promised myself when we moved to New York, that I would never set foot in this place again.
Annabeth gave me the look she always gives me when I say something really stupid.
"What?"
"Honestly Percy, do you ever pay attention to anything?"
"Do you even know me?" I asked, feigning offence.
"Right sorry" she answered, smiling. Her eyes always sparkled when she smiled, but since we fell into Tartarus, the sparkle had lessened. "Leo 'found' a phonebook and there were three schools that we found in the book, the Die Kunst City School of Arts, the Jim Smith Memorial School of Arts, and the Pennsylvania Branch of the International Preforming Arts Center." Wow that was a mouthful.
While she was briefing me; Frank, Hazel and Nico had sat down opposite of us, next to Piper and Jason. Now we were only waiting for Leo.
"Percy, are you okay? You look pale," Annabeth held my hand on the table and looked at me with a worried expression.
"Yea I'm fine." I managed to choke out, I hate lying to her, but how could I ever manage to tell her. The look on her face told me she didn't believe me, sometimes I wish she didn't know me so well. Luckily Leo decided that that was the perfect time to come bursting into the lounge with Coach Hedge.
"So," Annabeth started when everyone had taken a seat around the table, "Piper and Hazel are going to check out the Die Kunst Branch of the International Preforming Arts Center, Jason, Frank and Leo are going to the Jim Smith Memorial School of Arts, and Percy and I will visit the Pennsylvania School of Arts," my heart sped up when I heard where we were going, not because of who I was going with, we didn't leave each other's side for long any more, not after the fall. I was nervous because of the school we would be visiting. "…and coach hedge will guard the ship" No one questioned anything, and with that we were off.
Annabeth and I walked hand in hand through the half-asleep city; I could tell something was bothering her.
"What's wrong?"
"You tell me"
"What do mean"
"You know what I mean, you're quiet. You're never quiet. Why won't you tell me what's bothering you. Is it something Hera said?" She knows me so well.
I was looking anywhere but her face. The sun was about 45 degrees in the sky illuminating the dark buildings with a golden outline. The buildings were further apart than in New York City, and this 'city' gave off more of a suburban feeling than an urban feeling. There were a lot of people walking, talking, running, and driving but nowhere near as crowded as NYC.
"I have bad memories here," I said. She looked like she wanted to press the matter but then I saw the school, "There it is" I finished and pulled her towards the fancy brick buildings.
"Whoa… it's huge," Annabeth said.
It was huge. It didn't even look like a school, more like a collage campus. There were 10 buildings in a U shape facing in, towards a center clearing of beautiful green grass. Each building was three stories high. The red brick façade was painted in a lot of places, like every year they added another painting. The different buildings each had a reoccurring theme, like on one building the paintings all had lyres in them somewhere, one had an Aulos (AU: an aulos is a Greek flute) in each of the pictures. On the 10th building the pictures had nothing in common.
"Do they really have that many students?" Annabeth asked in wonder. I was wondering the same thing
"Which one do we go in to? If we have to find Terpsichore… how would we even find her without checking every building?" I asked fighting the dread that was willing to take over my mind; I of course knew exactly which building we needed to go to, I just needed to stall as long as I could, I don't want to have to bring the memories back, after trying to forget for so long.
"Well Her symbol is the lyre, so I'm guessing that building," she pointed to the building at the highest point of the U. She started walking to the building, then noticed I wasn't following, "Seaweed Brain, are you coming?"
I swallowed hard, managed a small smile and answered, "Of course, Wise Girl" and we started towards the building.
